Notebook: MLL to hold 2014 championship game at Kennesaw State

Major League Lacrosse announced on Monday that Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., will host the 2014 MLL championship game Aug. 23.

“We are thrilled to return to Fifth Third Bank Stadium and the Atlanta region,” MLL commissioner David Gross said. “We believe in the growth of the sport in the area and having the championship game there is the next step as we contemplate future expansion.”

Last season, more than 4,000 fans traveled to Fifth Third Bank Stadium to watch the Rochester Rattlers play the Boston Cannons in the first-ever MLL game in Georgia.

“Metro Atlanta has a strong affinity for lacrosse, both at the participant and fan levels, so it's only fitting that Kennesaw State University hosts the 2014 MLL championship game,” said Dan Corso, executive director of the Atlanta Sports Council. “We are excited to play a role in organizing the event and look forward to a terrific game.”

Tickets will go on sale Friday.

2 with local ties join Cannons

The MLL's Boston Cannons announced that former Baltimore Bayhawk Tom Slate and Andrew Pons (Western Maryland College) have been added to the coaching staff.

Slate, the president and CEO of Lacrosse Evolution in Downingtown, Pa., will serve as defensive coordinator. Pons, who works for Dallas-based Coast to Coast Lacrosse, has coached with the Maryland Lacrosse Club and Baltimore Crabs.

Stevenson to host classic

The defending national champion Stevenson men will host the first-ever Mustang Mid-Season Classic, featuring Cortland, Lynchburg and Nazareth, at Mustang Stadium on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22.

All four teams ranked in the Top 15 nationally last season and represent both the North and South regions. The teams combined for 70 wins in 2013, while three — Stevenson, Cortland and Lynchburg — advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III tournament.

2014 Mustang Mid-Season Classic

Friday, March 21

Lynchburg vs. Cortland, 5 p.m.

Stevenson vs. Nazareth 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 22

Nazareth vs. Lynchburg, 5 p.m.

Stevenson vs. Cortland, 7:30 p.m.

Quick hits

With 1.3 seconds left in the game, rookie forward Scott Jones (UMBC) scored the game-winning goal to give the visiting Minnesota Swarm a 16-15 preseason victory over the Rochester Knighthawks in front of an announced 10,782 at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday evening. Jones finished with three goals in a rematch of last season's East Division final. On Friday, Jones had a pair of goals as the Swarm defeated the Colorado Mammoth, 14-10, in a preseason game in Oakville, Ontario. ... The Johns Hopkins men's game against Michigan on Feb. 22 was changed to a home game; it will start at noon at Homewood Field. It was originally scheduled as a home game for the Wolverines.